Apparently, Tori Spelling put off going to college to act on the show. She kept telling herself to put it off another year, never expecting the show to go as long as it did. USC waited year after year for the show to end and for Spelling to start attending classes, but the show just kept on going.
“I’ll go when I’m done,” Spelling told Entertainment Weekly in 2000. Of course, then the show ended up going on for ten years. By the time she was ready to get to work, Spelling was twenty-six…and she never actually went to college.
Name Changes
Donna Martin's role grew from more minor appearances as the show continued, and the producers made some changes to her as the show progressed. While she's known as Donna Martin, a season one episode has the character audition to be the school's DJ, using the name Donna Morgan.
In addition, Donna's mother's name was Nancy – played by Jordana Capra – while in season two and beyond the name was Felice, played by Katherine Cannon. Perhaps there's a story that was hidden between the lines the entire time...what happened to the first mother, and why did Donna change her name?
Just the One
While the show is remembered fondly by almost everyone now, it did not exactly light up the awards circuit at the time. It did receive four Golden Globe nominations, though – two for Jason Priestly and two for “Best Television Series – Drama.” So it did get some awards love.
The single Emmy nomination it got wasn't even one of the main cast: Milton Berle was nominated for “Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series''. He came on as Saul Howard, an ex-entertainer in the senior home where Steve performs community service. Berle lost the award to Paul Winfield, acting on an episode of "Picket Fences."
Another Reason to Fire Her
A lot was said about how Shannen Doherty got herself fired – showing up late on set, feuding with her co-stars, getting a haircut, and more – but apparently, she also wrecked Ian Ziering's car too. While driving too fast – with Ziering in the car – she drove it into a ditch, and Ziering's Corvette bottomed out.
Incredibly, Ziering and Doherty had a strong relationship – so strong, even, that Ziering took the blame for the crash. We hope that Doherty kept a handle on her diva behavior around Ziering because he seems like a cool guy, to be honest.
Breaking Down
Jennie Garth has revealed – and gone into great detail about – her mental health. Becoming an overnight superstar at nineteen led her to extreme anxiety. It became difficult for her to even leave her house for groceries. She says in her book "Deep Thoughts From a Hollywood Blonde", that it was paralyzing. She began to have panic attacks, leading her to become even more withdrawn.
With the pressures of the show, producers, fellow cast members, and even fans and media, we can imagine anyone could crack. Thankfully, Garth has gotten the help she needed and has openly shared her story in order to help others.